Social media has been blooming this spring with pictures of hillsides awash with color. The California Super Bloom has been in full swing and parents have been taking full advantage of it by collecting precious pictures of their kids posed perfectly in rolling fields of wildflowers. Of course my own attempts to do the same have resulted in nothing more than blurry snapshots of my kids running around in excitement, chasing various insects and lizards. But even though my Instagram account shows no evidence of it, our family hikes have been especially enjoyable this year.
What hasn’t been pleasant, however, are the unusually strong seasonal allergies. And I know it’s not just my husband and I that are feeling this, because many of my patients have been complaining about the same thing. And even though the wildflower bloom seems to be winding down in San Diego, the unusually intense allergy season will continue well into summer as wildflowers give way to natural grasses that don’t look as colorful, but actually produce more harmful airborne allergens – more people are allergic to grass pollen than any other airborne allergen.
So what options are available to people suffering from seasonal allergies? Should you tough it out? Get over the counter symptom relief? Talk to a doctor about allergy drops or shots? As always, it depends. For many people, seasonal allergies are annoying but harmless and you can try some of the tips I’ve listed below to seek relief as necessary. But for some people, prolonged exposure to allergens can cause problems like nasal polyps and chronic sinus infections which may require surgery. If you are concerned, you can always call my office to schedule an allergy test or discuss other allergy-related conditions like nasal polyps and chronic sinus infections.
Best Ways To Manage Seasonal Allergies
Limit your outdoor activity when pollen counts are high. I know this is a tough one, because being able to enjoy the outdoors is a big part of why we all live in San Diego. But sometimes you just need to give your body a break by staying inside and away from clouds of pollen. You can always, of course, visit the beach. Sea breezes in Southern California typically blow pollen inland.
When you do go outside for extended periods of time, be sure to change your clothes and take a shower to get the pollen off your hair, clothes, and skin. Even though you can’t see it, the pollen is there and will continue to trigger your symptoms.
Use saline nasal sprays and rinses to flush the allergens out of your nose and sinuses. The longer the allergens stay in your nose, the more prolonged your symptoms will be. Worried about trying nasal saline rinses for the first time? Try using an nasal saline mist and ease yourself into using the sinus rinse bottle or Neti-Pot.
Try an over-the-counter oral antihistamine like Claritin or Zyrtec. These medications will help with allergy symptoms and typically do not cause significant drowsiness. Flonase, a nasal steroid spray, can also be used to manage nasal congestion and runny nose, but many patients feel it can take at least a few days of daily use for it build up to its full effectiveness.
Allergy drops or shots. If you find that you’re using allergy medications more than you would like to, or if your symptoms are not well-controlled despite medications, you may want to consider allergy testing. Allergy testing not only tells you what you’re allergic to and how severe your allergy is, but it can also help guide immunotherapy. Immunotherapy (allergy shots or drops) can be used to teach your body to become desensitized to these allergens so that you won’t need allergy medication in the future.
Our office offers sublingual immunotherapy allergy drops, which is a good alternative to allergy shots. My patients enjoy the convenience of doing it at home and not having to come in every week for an allergy shot – they also love that it’s painless! Schedule an appointment for an evaluation and to learn more about allergy testing and immunotherapy.
Disclaimer: This article is not to be taken as medical advice. Dr. Angela Chang enjoys writing and publishing informal articles like this one to share her general thoughts on healthcare and healthy living in San Diego. If you have any questions or concerns about your specific medical conditions or symptoms, please call Dr. Angela Chang’s office to schedule an appointment or contact another qualified physician in your area.
Managing Seasonal Allergies
Last Updated: November 24, 2019 by Angela Chang · Leave a Comment
Super Bloom, Super Allergies
Social media has been blooming this spring with pictures of hillsides awash with color. The California Super Bloom has been in full swing and parents have been taking full advantage of it by collecting precious pictures of their kids posed perfectly in rolling fields of wildflowers. Of course my own attempts to do the same have resulted in nothing more than blurry snapshots of my kids running around in excitement, chasing various insects and lizards. But even though my Instagram account shows no evidence of it, our family hikes have been especially enjoyable this year.
What hasn’t been pleasant, however, are the unusually strong seasonal allergies. And I know it’s not just my husband and I that are feeling this, because many of my patients have been complaining about the same thing. And even though the wildflower bloom seems to be winding down in San Diego, the unusually intense allergy season will continue well into summer as wildflowers give way to natural grasses that don’t look as colorful, but actually produce more harmful airborne allergens – more people are allergic to grass pollen than any other airborne allergen.
So what options are available to people suffering from seasonal allergies? Should you tough it out? Get over the counter symptom relief? Talk to a doctor about allergy drops or shots? As always, it depends. For many people, seasonal allergies are annoying but harmless and you can try some of the tips I’ve listed below to seek relief as necessary. But for some people, prolonged exposure to allergens can cause problems like nasal polyps and chronic sinus infections which may require surgery. If you are concerned, you can always call my office to schedule an allergy test or discuss other allergy-related conditions like nasal polyps and chronic sinus infections.
Best Ways To Manage Seasonal Allergies
Our office offers sublingual immunotherapy allergy drops, which is a good alternative to allergy shots. My patients enjoy the convenience of doing it at home and not having to come in every week for an allergy shot – they also love that it’s painless! Schedule an appointment for an evaluation and to learn more about allergy testing and immunotherapy.
Disclaimer: This article is not to be taken as medical advice. Dr. Angela Chang enjoys writing and publishing informal articles like this one to share her general thoughts on healthcare and healthy living in San Diego. If you have any questions or concerns about your specific medical conditions or symptoms, please call Dr. Angela Chang’s office to schedule an appointment or contact another qualified physician in your area.
Share this:
Related
Categories blog